Proportional distributer



1. F. LAFFOON.

PROPORT'IONALDISTRIBUTERL APPLICATION FILED cent 12. I918.

Patentefi Aug. 10, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

IN wizv TOR James EL affam J. F LAFFOON.

PROPORTIONAL DISTRIBUTER.

APPLICAFION mu) ocr.12,191s.

1,348,885. Patented g- 10,1920

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

VI [N]? )R James EL affawz UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES F. LAFFOON, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES F. LAFFOON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, 344: North Drury avenue, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Proportional Distributors; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a device for distributing finely divided material in uniform ratio to a plurality of receiving devices.

The invention is particularly adapted for use in distributing flour or flour stock from a suitable source of supply to devices adapted to receive it.

In the manufacture of flour it is desirable to maintain a uniformity of grade or quality and this can best be accomplished successfully by insuring the correct distribution of stock to the various machines used in the operation of manufacture. It is a recognized fact of milling that such constant and correct distribution of the stock can be accomplished most easily and with the greatest success if the stock going to the bolting machines is distributed to them in a quantity flow which is constantly uniform in proportion to the capacity of the different sections.

As an illustration, most up-to-date bolting machines are made up with more than one section. On sections of the same machine having the same bolting capacity and designed to make the same separations of stock, it is, therefore, necessary that the stock going to such bolter and its various sections be so divided that it will be delivered to the bolter in as many uniform streams as there are sections to handle such stock and this invention covers the design of a machine which will distribute the fiow of stock which has to be distributed evenly to the various sections in such a manner that each section will get its proper proportion of the entire stream.

In carrying out my invention I utilize, as the preferred embodiment thereof, a table surrounded by a plurality of receiving de- Specification of Letters Patent.

' PROPORTIONAL DISTRIBUTER.

Patented Aug. 10, 1920.

Application filed October 12, 1918. Serial No. 257,909.

vices and I have provided means whereby material deposited upon the table will be equally distributed about the perimeter thereof so that as nearly as practicable each receiving device will receive its proper proportion of the material deposited upon the table. By insuring this proper distribution of the incoming material I am enabled to maintain a correct and uniform flow of stock to as many different sections of a bolter as may be required, and thus insure uniform separation of the stock in the bolting machine and thereby make it easier to maintain the uniformity of the finished product.

I have also provided means whereby the liability of the device becoming clogged will be avoided.

In the drawings, Figure I is a perspective view of a device constructed in accordance with my invention, parts being broken away to show the interior construction thereof. Fig. II is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through one form of my invention. Fig. III is a transverse section on a line III-III Fig. II and Fig. IV is a side elevational view of a device constructed in accordance with my invention, showing its relative position with respect to the elevator with which it cooperates.

Referring now to the drawings by numerals of reference.

1 designates a casing, in the wall of which is a plurality of doors 2; the casing 1 is provided with a man hole or opening 3 adapted to be normally closed by a cover 1. Onthe casing 1 are brackets 5 and 6, in which is 'journaled a shaft 7, the shaft 7 carries a pulley 8 by means of which the shaft maybe driven through a belt. On the shaft 7 is a beveled gear 9 meshing with a similar gear 10- on the vertical shaft 11 which extends through the top of the easing 1 and which carries a plurality of transversely and upwardly curved arms 12 radially deposited about the hub 13 on the shaft 11 whereby a spider is formed. The lower edges of the arms 12 are substantially parallel with the upper surface of the concave table 14 which is provided with a laterally projecting flange 15 extending around its entire perimeter and which is adapted to overlap the opening 16 of the material receiving devices on chutes 17 arranged in circular series about the perimeter of the table 14. I

18 is a discharge chute leading from elevator 19 into the chamber formed by the casing 1 so that finely divided materialsuch as flour stock may be conveyed from the elevator to the hopper 20 within the casing 1. By referring to Figs. 1 and II it will be observed that the discharge chute or spout 21 of the hopper consists of a plurality of sections 22 connected by lap joints 23 whereby the spout isflexible and the lowermost section is provided with a vertically adjustable ring or nozzle 24 whereby the discharge end of the nozzle may be adjusted with respect to the spider and table. In a device of this class, it is desirable that the material to be deposited be deposited approximately in the center of the table so as to get equal discharge entirely around the table. In view of the fact that the rate of flow of the material. into the hopper 2O varies, some provision should be made to compensate for the rebounding of the material as it passes through the discharge end of the hopper. It the discharge spout, made up of the section 21, happened to be'concentric with the spider and table and in fixed relation thereto as shown in Fig. II a major portion of thematerial, under some conditions, passing through 18 would be deposited eccentrically with relation to the spider and therefore more material would pass from one side of the table than from the other. If the spout is swung to. one

side, however, the discharge end can be so positioned that'material will be deposited concentrically with the relation to the spider and table and thereby be evenly distributed from the perimeter of the table.

Any adjustment between the two extremes may be efi'ected by manipulation of the spout, access being gained through the opening3. i

It sometimes happens that one or more of the tubular conduits 17 becomes clogged; in that event, there will be a liability of the casing becoming filled by the accumulated material with result to the disadvantage of the operation of the device; ln'order to obviate the liability of such an occurrence Ihave provided the doors 2 which may be provided with weights 2 so that they will normally close their openings but said doors casing and 26 is an inlet port whereby outside atmosphere may enter the aspirator pipe when the suction within the casing becomes too strong. 7 From theforegoing it will be apparent that the material deposited from'the elevator will be evenly distributed throughout the zone adjacent to the perimeter of the table in the most convenient and eflective manner.

I claim' 1. A distributer for finely divided material comprising a circular table, a spout having a concentric discharge opening adapted to be adjusted eccentrically to direct the material onto the circular table, means for evenly distributing the material to the periphery ofthe table, and materialreceiving devices about the periphery of the table and having inlet openings below,

charge opening adapted to be adjusted eccentrically to direct the material onto the table, a rotating spider above the table for evenly discharging the material to the pe riphery of the table, and material-receiving devices about the periphery of the table.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

' i JAMES F. maroon, 

